Egypt 'confirms finding the wreckage'

EgyptAir has said that Cairo’s foreign ministry has “confirmed finding the wreckage” in an English statement on Facebook.

EgyptAir resource stated that the Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation has just received an official letter from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that confirms the finding of wreckage of the missing aircraft No. MS 804 near Karpathos Island.

EgyptAir sincerely conveys its deepest sorrow to the families and friends of the passengers onboard Flight MS804. Family members of passengers and crew have been already informed and we extend our deepest sympathies to those affected.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian Investigation Team in co-operation with the Greek counterpart are still searching for other remains of the missing plane.

In a series of tweets the airline said that investigators found floating materials likely to be wreckage, life jackets and plastic debris.

Earnest clarifies that there are enhanced security screenings for “international aircraft that are bound for the United States,” and that because the EgyptAir flight was bound from Paris to Cairo it wasn’t subject to these extra measures.

He says he doesn’t have any details at the moment on “how those advanced security measures have disrupted plots but we do believe that applying that expertise from the TSA … even at foreign airports does enhance the safety and security of Americans traveling abroad.”

He also clarifies his comment about Paris’ Charles De Gaulle Airport: “I can’t offer a security assessment of any airport around the world … there’s no specific concern that’s been raised that I’m aware of.”

A US navy aircraft is helping with the search for debris, he says. In 2015, he adds, TSA specialists “performed 289 air carrier inspections and 146 foreign airport assessments”. The security officers also deploy canine teams.

The White House has offered assistance to European and Middle East allies, saying that the Department of Homeland Security and TSA have been in contact with foreign ministries and aviation departments to help improve security measures.

Press secretary Josh Earnest says though that it’s too early to say what could have caused the EgyptAir crash. “We have seen a desire on the part of extremists around the world, including some extremists in the Middle East, to carry out attacks targeting the international aviation system. We obviously are mindful of that.”

But says there are no particular concerns about the Paris airport as a specific case. “We’ve obviously learned a lot since 9/11 about what’s necessary to protect the aviation system but that has not diminished the desire of some extremist organizations to try to carry out attacks.”

Earnest adds that the US is “constantly adapting” security measures, and also offers condolences to the families of passengers and crew on the flight.

Earlier on Thursday, US secretary of state John Kerry has declined to “speculate” on any possible cause of the flight’s disappearance, telling reporters in Brussels that he does not think even the experts have enough evidence to start developing an idea of what happened.

Tarek Wahba, the captain of the Maersk Ahram, a ship involved in the search and rescue operation, has posted some pictures on his Facebook account showing debris floating in the sea, which he describes as a “lifejacket and a chair.

We have no confirmation if the debris has anything to do with flight MS804 or where it was found.

Tarek Wahba, the captain of the Maersk Ahram, a ship involved in the search and rescue operation for EgyptAir flight MS804, posted pictures midday on Thursday showing an orange object floating in the sea. Photograph: Tarek Wahba via Facebook

It has not been confirmed if the object is from flight MS804. Photograph: Tarek Wahba via Facebook

The US Navy says it has dispatched a P-3 Orion long-range aircraft to support the search for an EgyptAir plane. President Obama was briefed earlier on the crash by counter-terror advisors.

“US Commander Sixth Fleet is working with the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Greece and the US Defence Attache in Athens, Greece to provide US Navy P-3 Orion support in the search of the missing Egyptian aircraft,” the US navy said in a statement.

The surveillance plane had been sent from the naval air station Sigonella in Sicily.

He said the man “was going to give condolences to his family,” according to AFP.

One of the 30 Egyptians onboard was a man returning from medical treatment in France, according to two friends who came to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport, telling AP they were heart-broken.

Kuwait’s foreign ministry has also confirmed one of its citizens, Abdulmohsen al-Muteiri, was on board the plane. His nephew spoke to the Guardian at Cairo airport earlier, saying he was a professor of economics and a father of two, who was excited to be heading to Cairo for a three-day conference.

• This section of the live blog was amended on 20 May 2016. An earlier version said that the military student from Chad was flying home to visit his mother.